What Are Project Objectives + Examples And How To Write Them

Here’s how the discussion about project objectives starts:

Client: I want more leads and better brand recognition.

Me: Those are some great goals!

Also me: Hey Team! We have the goals — now we can put together the project objectives.

My team: *groan* Okay….

Where do you go from there?

That’s what I’ll show you in this post. I’ll give you a crash course in all things project objectives: definitions, examples, how to write an objective and dive into those pesky (yet wonderful) smart objectives.

What Are Project Objectives?

A project objective is a statement that describes the “what” of your project. The tangible and measurable “what”. The “what” that’s achievable, realistic, and can be completed within the timeallowed. These statements ladder up to the goals of the project, providing stepping stones to success.

Why Are Project Objectives Important?

Project objectives are the guideposts when making decisions throughout the lifespan of the project. They communicate project purpose in clear, tangible morsels.

Just as with personal goals, having clear objectives for our projects is the first step in moving from where we are to where we want to be.

Have you ever set the goal to “be healthier” as a new years’ resolution? How successful were you? This is a much more achievable and measurable goal if we add some details. For example:

• I will go to the gym (a class, by myself or go for a substantial walk) at least 3 times a week for 4 months straight.

or

• I will eat a homemade dinner four of seven nights a week for 2 months.

It’s important to have well-defined project objectives that all stakeholders review and agree to. You need these objectives at project initiation and you’ll reference them throughout the lifecycle of the project. This is true for agile, waterfall, scrumfall, wagile or whatever project methodologycombination you’re using. We project managers use them throughout every step of the project as a guidepost to make sure we’re doing right by our project and by our client.

Project objectives can also help CYA (Cover Your Ass) when the client decides to pivot on you (of course, a well-written Statement of Work helps CYA, too).

Project Goals Vs. Project Objectives: Aren’t They The Same Thing?

Short answer: No.

Long answer: while they relate to one another, the goals and objectives serve different purposes. The goal is usually a high level target set by the business which is the underlying driver behind a project (and how they put the budget towards it). The objective is the detailed outline of the big picture of the project. Imagine a connect the dot diagram, the goals are the dots but the objectives are the numbers. The objectives help direct you to the end result of the project.

Here are some goal vs. objective examples:

Sidenote: If you’re in a place where you need to set goals before you can set objectives, here are some killer tips for project managers on setting goals.

How To Identify The Right Project Objectives

While having objectives is important, having the right project objectives is the true key to success.

If your internal dialogue goes something like this, you’re doing it right:

• Do I really want to increase page views by 20%? Or is it more valuable to increase quality leads by 5%?
• Is time on the page important? Or does that mean our users can’t find what they’re looking for?
• Is it more valuable to make sure key information is always available within a maximum number of clicks? Is it more valuable to increase use of search? Or would that mean our information isn’t easy to find?
• Are form completes important on a page? Or is it more important to drive users to supporting content?

Notice how, in each example, you’re questioning what you’re measuring. Over the course of many, many, projects I’ve had a lot of goal repetition because of “industry” standards. Those common benchmarks might not make sense for your project and it’s important to question your knee-jerk decisions and think strategically about the goals you set.

Here is an example showing the questions you can ask to find the right project objectives:

• Increasing page views by xx%
• Is that more valuable than an increase in quality leads by 5%?
• Are page views important if bounce rates are high?
• Should we be looking to decrease bounce rates instead?

But what if you can’t answer these questions? Well, your team members and clients probably can, or they can provide valuable insight that will help you fill in the holes.

Remember: writing project objectives shouldn’t fall solely on the project manager. Defining goals and objectives of the project should start as early as possible. Ideally you’ll see some goal definition in the RFP, but you’ll really dive into the definition of objectives in the kickoff. It’s important that you talk these through with the team and stakeholders to make sure you’re defining the right objectives.

Read the full article to learn more:
- How to set S.M.A.R.T. project objectives
- Examples of S.M.A.R.T. objectives

Originally published at www.thedigitalprojectmanager.com on June 6, 2019.